Advocates: Oyster farming may hurt threatened shorebirds

Environmentalists and coastal researchers say New Jersey's efforts to establish commercial oyster farms in shallow coastal waters may be jeopardizing a threatened shorebird.

The American Littoral Society and New Jersey Audubon, along with several scientific researchers, tell The Associated Press there is growing evidence that the oyster farms are interfering with red knots during their crucial fattening-up period each spring.

An advisory committee recently sent a report to the state Department of Environmental Protection recommending that expansion of near-shore aquaculture projects not be expanded until further research can be done on potential harm to the red knots.

[...] a study led by a Rutgers University professor found that increased human activity associated with near-shore aquaculture resulted in some shorebirds abandoning affected areas.

"Given the critical role Delaware Bay plays as a terminal migration stopover before knots breed in the Arctic, these warnings demand that we take a strong precautionary approach to aquaculture development in Delaware Bay," said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, a coastal ecology group.